Casey Family Programs

How do children in foster care fare academically when placed with relatives versus typical non-relative foster care? We put together this one-page summary of research examining academic achievement for children in foster care, children in kinship care and children in the general population. #ChildWelfare #KinshipCare #KinshipCareMonth #BackToSchool

All children deserve lifelong family connections and a permanent place to call home. If a child must be removed from their home, the agency should do all they can to ensure that the child is able to maintain relationships with their extended relatives and chosen family. In this recently updated brief, we share some examples of effective family search and engagement tools: https://bit.ly/4dKQ2MA #ChildWelfare #KinshipCare #FictiveKin #KinshipCareMonth

"Transitioning Out of Foster Care With Dignity: Lived Experts’ Recommendations to Strengthen Housing Support Systems" - Child Trends #ChildWelfare #FosterCare #AgingOut #LivedExperience

Child development research and data consistently show that children are better off when they can stay connected to family. Child protection agencies should do all they can to ensure children are never removed from their families for non-safety related concerns. Last year Casey published a white paper and hosted a webinar outlining the purpose and responsibilities of a well-functioning child protection agency. Those resources are available on our website: https://bit.ly/42OyI3x #ChildWelfare #WellFunctioningAgency

Youth in foster care and alumni of foster care already face challenges in completing their education, and the lack of technology access intensifies these challenges. Computers and internet access should be considered basic needs for youth and families involved with the child welfare system. How can the child welfare system help youth and families access needed technology? #ChildWelfare #TechnologyAccess #BackToSchool

What do we know about remote court hearings? The separation of a child from their parents is traumatic for all involved, making timely and frequent court hearings essential for quickly moving cases toward permanency and, if possible, reunification. While more research is needed to understand the impact of remote family court hearings, this brief outlines some of the potential benefits and challenges of holding family court in a remote/virtual setting. #ChildWelfare

In this recently published brief, Child Trends presents background research on the development of racial and ethnic identity and the factors that influence identity development. Next, they explore the various meanings ascribed to changing one’s racial identity. Lastly, they discuss implications of the research for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers; limitations of the current research design; and suggestions for more research to explore this developmental process. #ChildWelfare #FosterCare

Youth in foster care face many more obstacles than their peers who are not in foster care. Among them is unintended pregnancy. How severe is the issue? Studies indicate that as many as half of the females in foster care become pregnant by age 19, compared to one in five of their peers not in foster care. We’ve compiled a list of strategies and jurisdictional examples about preventing unintended pregnancies for youth in foster care. https://bit.ly/3LUuMrk #ChildWelfare

While the number of children entering foster care has decreased overall in recent years, the number of children entering foster care due to parental substance use disorders has increased. Meanwhile, the number of children living with kinship caregivers — family members and chosen or fictive kin — also continues to grow. With these coinciding factors, what supports can benefit kinship caregivers in families affected by substance use disorder? https://bit.ly/3znjitp #ChildWelfare #SubstanceUseDisorder

Deadline tomorrow! Wednesday, July 24 (at 5 p.m. PDT) is the deadline to nominate someone for a 2025 Casey Excellence for Children Award. If you know any alumni of foster care, birth parents, kinship caregivers or resource parents who have made extraordinary efforts on behalf of those involved in child welfare, consider nominating them for this national award. Learn more about the awards and nominate someone deserving: https://bit.ly/4b71XCw #ChildWelfare #CECA